Apparatus for stabilizing high speed trains



K. P. BILLNER APPARATUS FOR STABILIZING HIGH SPEED TRAINS I July 7, 1936.

Filed June 28, 1954 llii T nlllllIN\IIIIII\IIlulllll lllnlllllllll III! Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED TATES ;mm omen i APPARATUS FOR STABILIZING HIGH SPEED TRAINS Karl Pleill'ner, New York, 1v. Y. Application June 28', 1934, Serial No. 732,781 .14 Claims. (01.104442) been so banked as to permit with entire safety speeds of perhaps sixty miles per hour but in many cases such a speed cannot be maintained on a curve without disaster. Obviously the danger is due to the fact that in traversing a curve cen- -trifugal forces are developed, tending to--derail the train, and care has to be taken that the speed at all times must be kept sufficiently low as to prevent the development of dangerously high centrifugal forces. 7 I I Under the spur of modern civilization and-due to the competition of other methods of transportation such as airplanes, it has been found desirable to substantially increase the speed of railroad trains to one hundred miles per hour or more. This development is exemplified for ex-. ample in modern Diesel driven stream line trains capable of as high a speed on a straight track as one hundred and twenty miles per hour; The curves, however, still present difficulties and the speed has to be reduced at more or'lessfrequent intervals to a safe figure which means of course a lower average speed for the entire run; The object of my invention is to provide an im--' proved apparatus by which trains may negotiate curves with entire safety at speeds which under present conditions would be impossible.

To this end, my invention consists in providing an apparatus by which opposing forces will be developed to counteract the centrifugal forces tending to derail the train and also to develop those opposing forces substantially in'propo'rtion tothe centrifugal forces. The development of these opposing forces is preferably brought about automatically as will be hereinafter explained.

These opposing forces which counteract and oppose the otherwise destructive centrifugal forces are developed magnetically by increasing the traction of the wheels of the train on the rails in proportion to the value of the centrifugal forces tending to cause the wheels to leave the rails.

This may be done either by magnetizing the wheels to cause them to engage the rails with a greater or less increase of pressure or by carrying upon the train a series of electro-magnets movablein close relationship to the tracks which therefore-form the armature of a magnetic circuit.

I control-the development of the counteracting forces automatically and this is effected by the employment of a normally quiescent mass, such 5 as 'a pendulum or a sliding weight. Such mass will be thrown out of equilibrium under the effect of and to the extent of the centrifugal forces. This movement of the mass-from its condition of equilibrium, may be utilized to control an ele'c- 10- tric current the value of which will determine the extent of the magnetic pull. In utilizing a shiftable mass to thus automatically adjust the value ofthe opposing forces it is desirable that said mass shall'not be affected by ordinary conditions of run but shall be influenced only by the centrifugal forces which are to be guarded against. Therefore, I prefer to mount the pendulum or weight in a casing containing a liquid like oil or water or glycerin or'containing a 20 readily mobile solid like petroleum jelly, whereby the controlling mass will move from its position of equilibrium onlyunder the effect of a sustaining force such as will be encountered when the train roundsacurve.

For obvious reasons it'is important that the automatic controlling apparatus shall be located at the frontof the train so as to overcome the destructive centrifugal forces at the instance of their development. In fact the automatic 'con- 30 trolling apparatus is preferably located under each car whereby every car will be equipped with its individual automatic stabilizing apparatus brought into operation when centrifugalforces are encountered.

Attention is 'dir ectedto the accompanying drawing forming a part'of this specification'and in which h a Figure 1 is a front view of the axle and two of the wheelsof a train, the casing containing the controlling pendulum being shown in section. Figure 2 is a' similarvi'ewy-th wheels being shown in section and the casing and the controlling rheostat in elevation.

Figure 3, an enlarged section showing a por- 45 .tion of the core,

V The car wheels |I are carried usual byan axle 2 and travel on the steel rails 33. {In

order thatthe wheels I-{I may be magnetized I'employ a. core 4 inthe form of a ring as shown particularly in Figures 2 and 3.,This core'for each wheel is formed of any suitable magnetic material, and'it may bea separate core intimately welded to itsfassociated'wheel I; 'Preferably, however, the core 4 isjformed integrally with its associated wheel. Each of the'cores 4 may be magnetized by coils 5 ofinsulated wire as shown particularly in Figure 3, thereb'y mag-l.

netizing thewhe'els II| so as to increase the traction between said wheels and thjej rails 33 To protect coils 5 a metal covering B-is employed.

Currentis applied to the coils. through lead wire 'I-'! cooperating with insulated contact rings 88'as will be'readily u'ndersto odtand as, indicated in Figure 5., These contact rings areshown as being carried upon the axles 2 but they may be mounted onthecores or :upon any'movable element associated with the cores Current for energizing the several coils is sup- 'plied from any suitable source; such as storage battery 9. Two sources of supplyare preferably used so as to provide current in case of a breakdown of one source. A rheostat or a series of relays I isinterposed in one of the supply cir- '7 cults of thewheels 'on each car as shown in so; u a i The central or normal position of the rheostat 7 "arm l2 cuts all current to the several coils 5 but when the rheostat armris moved to either r side of this central position current of proportional value will be supplied to the coils so as to proportionately determine the value of the trac- I tive effect of the wheels l-l with respect to the 'rails3'3'. l The rheostat arms 12 of the train are preferably automatically adjusted by a shiftablemassinfluenced by the centrifugaltefiect as the train rounds a curve. The. mass maybe a pendulum l3 mounted on'a shaft 14 within a suitable con- 7 tainer IS. ,The shaft; isjprovided with an arm gal {force' developed whenthe train rounds a 551 formpf which has'b'een described,will 'be readily T understood. Under normal conditions when the itrain 'is'traversing a straight track the rheostat 16 connected by link I! with, the rheostat arm l2. I'The'container 15 may be supplied with'a material l8 to'provide a dashpotefiect, thus preventing the' weight 13 from responding to: brief intermittent Hforces'but, allowing the weight to respond to .a' continuous effect like the centrifu curve. {The material' lll may bei'either a. liquid such as water, oil, or glycerin; or it may be a v readily mobilesolid such as petroleum jelly. g

The operation of my improved apparatusone will cut oif current from the; coils 5 so that no magnetic effect will be secured; When, however, the train rounds a curvein'either direction 7 the centrifugal force 'will'cause, the weight I3: on

7 claim is:

each car; to be-defiected to the right or leftand this deflection will be proportional to "the'cen- V trifuga-l force. 'The value of this centrifugal force depends upon the speed and the radius ,of the curve. Since the "deflection of the weight I3 is proportional to the "disturbing centrifugal 7 force, the current supplied to the coils 5' will be{ likewise proportional to that force and in consequence the counteracting force tending 'to'ln- I crease the attraction between the wheels Il 10 7 7 and therails 'will be' correspondingly and auto-' matically regulated.

' With themodified'arrangementshown in Figure-4 coils I! are mounted upon cores '20fwhichi move closely adjacent to the: rails" asshown. 15 7 Current to these coils l9 may be supplied'in the same way as to the coils 5, so as to providefor anincreasein thetractive efiect substantially proportional to the centrifugal force'- tending to derail the train. r g 1 Having now described my invention what I' 1." Apparatus for stabilizing a 'trainQat speeds comprising energizing coils carried by the 7 train and so locatedas to increasethroughfmag-25 2. Apparatus forstabilizing 'a'train at highest speeds; comprising 'electro-magnets movable in close relationship to the rails to increaseithe tractive effect when energized, means for ,controlling the current of said'mag'nets a'nd'a shift;

able weight for actuating said controlling means V and movable from a position of equilibrium un- V 'der the effect of centrifugal force whereby the current wlllbe supplied'to'increase the magnetic pull betweensaid magnets and the'rails in 'proportion'to the'centrifuga'l forceatendi'ng'to de-' 45 rail: the-train in: rounding acu fve;

- 3. Apparatus" for stabilizing a train 1 at high speeds comprising energizing 'coils located ad jacentthe-wheels'for magnetizing said wheels so i as toincrease'the tractive effect thereof, means 50 forcontrollin'g' thefcurr'entjof said coils anda shift-able weight j for actuating the controlling it means and movablelfrom -a positionfof equilibrium under the effect of Ce trifugal force whereby; the current will be supplied tomagnetize-the 5 5 wheels in proportion to -the centrifugalforce;

'tendingto derail thetra'in in ,roundil a curve;

4. Apparatus as; recited in -claim 3'in which 7 'the movable weight issubjected to a dashpot effect so as to be influenced only by a continuingv centrifugal effect. V V r ,7 1 KARL P.' BILLNER. 

